Friday, October 14, 2011

Markets in Everything: Saddam's Bronze Buttocks

Al Arabyia News -- "A bronze buttock from the statue of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein toppled in Baghdad after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 is to be auctioned in Britain, an auction house said Tuesday.

A former soldier from Britain’s elite SAS regiment retrieved the two-foot (0.6-meter) wide piece of history and took it back to Britain shortly after U.S. marines dragged the statue down on live television. Nigel “Spud” Ely, now 52, was working with media covering the fall of Baghdad at the time. He said the marines gave him permission to remove the buttock using a hammer and a crowbar.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson called the bronze body part a “piece of modern history” and said he expects it to be sold for at least £10,000 (about $16,000) when it goes under the hammer on October 27."